In some business environments, computers are used in conjunction with telephones in order to provide services. For example, in providing credit card-related services, it is known to provide customer service representatives (hereinafter referred to as “agents” or “employees”), with access to a computer workstation as well as a telephone. In the process of providing telephonic service from the agent to the customer, typically a customer will contact the agent (or vice versa) through a telephone connection, and the customer and the agent will discuss matters relating to the customer's account over the telephone.
During such telephone calls, in order to provide supportive information regarding the customer's account, it is likewise conventional to provide the customer's account information at the agent's workstation. As an example, in the instance of credit card services, it is conventional to provide the agent's computer with information such as the customer's outstanding balance, the amount last paid, etc. It is also known to provide the agent with access to a database including certain fields, to which the agent can input data responsive to the telephone conversation. For example, the agent may wish to insert data to indicate that the customer has promised payment by a certain date, or that certain special attention should be given to the customer for any reason.
It is likewise conventional to provide such agents in groups, conventionally referenced as “call centers”. In certain instances, such call centers may have as many as 200 “agents” in a group, each having their own telephone extension, and each likewise having their own computer workstation having a monitor (or “screen”), which provides video signals responsive to various commands.
In order to provide supervision of such agents, it is often desired to allow an agent's supervisor (hereinafter “supervisor”), with a means for monitoring the screen and voice activities of such agents during their telephone conversations. Such monitoring of a “monitored workstation” may be considered quality control of the agent's services. For example, it is worthwhile for a supervisor to know if an agent is using his/her computer time efficiently (not moving back and forth from various screens or applications unnecessarily), or is rude or discourteous while on the telephone. Such information can be determined by having a supervisor “look over the shoulder” of an agent, viewing his/her computer activities as well as listening to the telephone conversations; however, due to human nature this tends to be an ineffective practice as an agent will tend to be “on guard” while being monitored, which may not provide the supervisor with a good example of how the agent normally would conduct his/her duties when not being monitored. For example, the agent could become nervous and not perform as well as normal if he/she knows he/she is being monitored.
Therefore, a need has been determined to provide remote monitoring of an agent's workstation, without the agent knowing it; in such an environment a supervisor can determine the agent's more typical activities on the job, therefore being provided with a more accurate set of information. Such a need is also present when multiple agents are being monitored.
Needs have also been determined to provide remote monitoring of an agent's workstation for purposes other than evaluation, such as to provide a record of on-screen events for audit trail purposes (such as could be the case in monetary wire transfers), or to provide a trigger to initiate other events such as critical account monitoring, all which may be done in a manner “transparent” to the agent.